Liz Yelling's top tips

We are delighted to be working with Liz Yelling, who has teamed up with the NSPCC to support you in your marathon journey this year. We've asked Liz to give you her top training tips, to ensure you are fully prepared and feeling confident when you reach the start line.

March 2012 - Your final month

If things over the past few months have gone to plan for you then March will see you add the icing on the cake for your marathon success.

Your marathon journey so far has probably been full of ups and downs, when you've been euphoric after real training breakthroughs, or when your legs ached, your muscles were sore and your spirit was low.  By now you should be feeling stronger, fitter and able to run for longer.  During March your training priorities should be to:

Complete your longest ‘long’ run.  

This should be in the region on 18-22 miles and should be tackled with four or three weeks to go. On your long runs, practise:

• Your marathon pace
• Your pre-run routines (e.g. timings of breakfast)
• Your hydration - during your run, start drinking early and take sips regularly.
• Your fueling and energy supplements - during your run, take a gel (or similar) every hour.

Include a faster run in your weekly workouts.  

With months of running behind you you’re ready to get faster.  Turn up the heat on some of your shorter runs. Try an interval session (for example, 6x3mins with 90s recovery) and run at a pace faster than marathon pace.

Get you kit and arrangements sorted for race day.

Leave nothing to chance.  Know where you going to stay, how you are getting to the start, and where you need to be and when.   Always allow more time than you think you need.

Tapering: less is more.

It takes months to develop your running fitness and you simply can’t expect to squeeze a marathon build up into the final few weeks.  You will not get any fitter by smashing out extra long runs or over-stretching yourself at the end of March.  Use the first three weeks in March to polish your preparations but then start to ease off the training at the end of the month.  By doing too much you are more likely to reach race day tired or get injured and not reach it at all.  In the final three weeks before your race do less not more running.

Good luck, train well and enjoy every run.